Bitcoin briefly reached $81,455 overnight Friday, its highest level since May 15, before falling back below $81,000 as altcoins surrendered gains. The move extends Bitcoin's more than 20% advance since the Treasury's Aug. 19 bond buyback announcement, while Nasdaq 100 futures remained broadly sideways and silver rose 1.5%, supporting the debasement trade. Crypto futures volume increased nearly 10% to $222 billion over the past 24 hours, while open interest stayed just above $140 billion and short sellers accounted for 51% of flow. SOL futures open interest reached its highest level since early July, although selling activity has increased. Bitcoin's implied volatility declined to 41% from 50%, suggesting traders are not pricing a major reaction to Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's Jackson Hole speech Friday. President Donald Trump's meme coin TRUMP rose 24% in 24 hours to about $2.80, with open interest up 57% over the past week to $188.72 million. Technically, BTC is consolidating within an ascending channel, with the 20-day and 50-day EMAs providing rising support; reclaiming $81,354 could reopen recent highs, while a break below $78,800 could trigger a deeper channel retest.